Thanksgiving Day clocks new US retail sales record

“By all appearances and according to CEOs I’ve spoken with across the retail spectrum, it looks like the early opening of stores on Thanksgiving and the traditional start of holiday shopping on Black Friday is breaking new records, including what companies are seeing through their digital channels,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. 

“The key take away at this point is that the real winners are in fact the consumers, who are recognizing more savings through competitive pricing and great promotions being offered in every category.

If there was any question this morning as to whether the Thanksgiving shopping tradition still resonates with Americans, we can simply look at the news coming from those who opened their doors to millions of eager shoppers last night.”

NRF estimates that holiday sales will increase 3.9 percent this year to $602 billion. NRF’s holiday sales forecast is based on an economic model using indicators like housing data, unemployment and previous monthly retail sales reports and includes retail industry sales from November and December.

National Retail Federation